Side Project Theatre Comes of Age

This past weekend I was introduced to a theatre company that has been around for a few years but has somehow been under my radar. The Side Project is housed in a small storefront space on W. Jarvis and the two productions I saw literally blew me away with their raw and honest energy. As a critic there is a tendency to become a tad jaded however a breath of fresh inspiration was infused by this fantastic group of thespians. Over the course of the weekend I attended two productions at Side Project, one a world premier by Daniel Talbott entitled Slipping and the other is the mid-West premier of our friend Adam Rapp's Faster.

Slipping

First and foremost, Slipping is one of the smartest, best produced and well acted plays I have seen in Chicago (or any other city) in many years. Playwright Daniel Talbott's story on how an abused, gay teenager, Eli, attempts to overcome a cycle of both emotional and physical abuse is haunting. The script walks the line of humor, sarcasm and drama and juggles all these qualities brilliantly. And when you have a breakthrough performance such as Nate Santana gives as the abused and haunted teen, you are apt to leave the theatre being emotionally exhausted. Santana so embodies Eli and the performance is so real and raw that you wonder if the part of Eli was written for him.

Slipping opens with Eli's suicide attempt then back flashes to the circumstances that led up to the act, including the death of his father, the abusive relationship with his first love, the tormented relationship with his mother and the unconditional love he finds in a classmate. Eli is searching for a reason to be loved, when all he has to do is look within. What grabbed me was how well written and acted the relationship between Eli and his mother (Rose Buckner) was interpreted. Even when Eli and his mother were screaming and swearing at each other, there was always this undercurrent of love and friendship that the actors were able to flush out of the mother and son relationship.

Rounding out this stellar cast is Daniel Caffrey as the school jock who is willing to give up everything to be with Eli and Adrian Gonzalez who plays Eli's first lover who was willing to give up nothing and who in the end is more emotionally tormented then Eli.

Director Adam Webster has a clear understanding of the material and knows exactly where he wants the actors to go emotionally with the piece. More than that, Webster knows certainly knows how to move action around in a very tight space. Webster has a definite respect for Talbott's work (as do all the actors) and the audience is surely rewarded.

Slipping plays through April 1, 2008 at the Side Project Theatre, 1439 W. Jarvis St., Chicago, Illinois. For showtimes and ticket information please visit www.thesideproject.net (773) 973-2150.

Faster

As I have said in prior reviews of his work, Adam Rapp is hands down one of the best playwrights creating new works we have. With an uncanny ability to make you feel uncomfortable, Rapp is certainly in charge of his words and Faster, which premiered in New York in 2002, is no exception.

Though not my favorite of Rapp's plays, Faster is certainly a work worth seeing. The action revolves around a the kidnapping of a young girl by two homeless teens, Kitchin and Skram who are living in the basement of an abandoned building in Chicago along with Skram's mentally challenged brother Stargyl. In a scheme that is ultimately turned on its ear, the boys are ‘holding' the girl for a business transaction with ‘The Man'. Whatever thoughts you may have of what lie in store for the characters are definitely not what you think.

Director Joanie Schultz has assembled a great cast for this adult drama. As the audience gathers in their seats, Bries Vannon's Stargyl is already in place playing in his corner with his plastic military men. Enter Bryson Engelsen who as Kitchin is the most compassionate and dare I say most adult. It is when Skram (Ryan Heindl) storms in with his Count Cholula that the action and dialogue are kicked into high gear.

As Rapp flushes his characters out the drama begins to build. Stargyl has a bonding experience with the captured girl (played alternately by Jaiden Fallo and Jarrah Korba) who seems to hold a magical ability; Skram has quite the relationship with an aerosol can and Kitchin is trying to hold everything together. It is when Paul Meyers appears as The Man in the second act that this really moves from a ripe drama to a psychological thriller all taking place in Grant Sabin's functional and gritty set design.

Faster plays through April 6, 2008 at the Side Project Theatre, 1439 W. Jarvis St., Chicago, Illinois. For showtimes and ticket information please visit www.thesideproject.net (773) 973-2150.